How to Start Learning Computer Programming

Computer programming is something that many a people aspire to learn. It is quite possible for anyone to do so, but to be mastering the skill of being a smart programmer one has to follow certain guidelines. The foremost thing an aspiring programmer should realize is that ‘Rome was not built-in a day’. So he cannot expect himself to be the creator of Facebook in next few months. Computer programming is a challenging thing to be good at and that cannot happen in a day. What you can do is take small steps at a time towards being a good programmer until you actually reach where you want to. Here are certain basic staff that could help you be a fine computer programmer.

1 First select a programming language you want to be good at. Your choice of language could be determined by your interest in the kind of applications you want to develop. For example you can learn C++, C# , Visual Basic .Net, etc if you are interested in developing desktop applications. For web development you can start studying Perl/Java/PHP for server-side development and JavaScript, HTML, CSS, jQuery, etc for client side developments.

2 The most important thing that you must do before you jump into the task of becoming a programmer is to find yourself a good book. There is no other alternative for beginners in programming but to read and understand the concepts. Good books will be structured such that you can learn one concept at a time, and going through each chapter will help you incrementally build on your concepts before finally you can start programming yourself. To choose a good book please visit a book store and start going through at least one or two initial chapters of multiple books on the same programming language. Doing so will help you understand which one of them you are going to devote your time reading fully. Choice of a good book is the cornerstone to lay a strong foundation to your programming basics, the ones you will be using the rest of your life as long you are involved in programming. Internet exposes you to a vast array of e-books which you can download and start reading. You can also go through the online reviews for each book before choosing the most suitable one for yourself.

3 To commence programming you also need to get the tools required to practice programming in a particular language. You will get to learn about these tools in most introductory level books.

4 As you go through the book, understand each and every concept and try running all the examples in your PC and test the outcome. This will give you a feel of what it is like coding. Please make sure that you understand every concept thoroughly, since half-baked knowledge on the basics will pose difficulties when you go for the advanced concepts.

5 Question other programmers in your institution about things which you are not clear on reading. You can also take help from online forums like http://stackoverflow.com to find answers to your queries. Also go through the questions that other programmers are posting in the online blogs and try to answer them if you can.

6 Read as much as you can on the language you are seeking to gain expertise on. There is no other alternative for gaining knowledge but by being an avid reader. Read everything that you can meticulously. Go through as many reference books and online blogs as possible after having read your main book. Internet will inform you about the most recent developments in that programming language that you need to keep abreast with. The most important thing about any programming language is its evolution and if you want to call yourself an expert in that language, you have to be knowing the latest findings and features added in that technology.

7 As much avid reader you have to be, you have to be a passionate programmer too. Keep practicing writing programs. Determine the multiple things you want your programs to achieve and start accordingly. The more you program, the clearer your concepts get. You have to know one thing and that is, it does not matter how much you read, you are never going to have a good programming acumen unless you really get your hands dirty.

8 Be patient on your journey to be a good programmer. There will be moments of frustration but you will enjoy overcoming them. Remember that being a good programmer is rewarding since they are highly priced everywhere in the IT industry.